Monday, March 29, 2010

Claire had an Art Show this week! She's been making pottery projects this month with a local artist, Mike Carroll. The whole class worked on items, then visited his art shop to take a tour. Then our local library featured all of the projects in a case so the community could see them. Mrs. Zhe, Claire's teacher, asked each child about his/her project and wrote a little quote. Here are Claire's...

Everyone asked me at the show if Claire had had an X-ray before...nope! Just what her imagination led her to make I guess! Here's Claire proudly showing off her art...

Thursday, March 25, 2010

This month for Papertrey Ink's Blog Hop, we were challenged to use BUTTONS on our projects. I decided to make this challenge a double! I think buttons and plaid go hand in hand (maybe that's because I really want to learn how to sew!). I have the Faux Ribbon set from PTI and decided to get out some Guide Lines 1 Grid Paper and work on making some plaid paper to go along with my button projects!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Today at Splitcoaststampers is the Inspiration Challenge, and our hostess Stef picked the website CutestFood.com! I chose these adorable Strawberry Mice for the inspiration for my card.

How fun it is to find new ideas to get more out of stamps that I love! Used PTI's Fruitful set, and sentiment from Baby Button Bits. That decorative paper is one of my faves from the Christmas line from Graphic 45. Don't you just love how the stem looks like his tail, hee?!

Friday, March 19, 2010

I found out about this wonderful Woven Basket created by Brenda Quintana (yes, it's out of paper!!) last year. She posted directions at her blog QBee's Quest in THIS POST! I made one, but since I have a tendency to RUN from templates that require measuring and stuff, I put the directions away until today. I just had to find it again because at Splitcoast for the new Free for All Challenge , the task was to make a basket or use a basket stamp, and use the colors Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, and Perfect Plum (I substituted PTI's Pale Plum, Spring Moss, and Lemon Tart). More felted flowers (see earlier post this week), PTI buttons, yellow gingham ribbon, and a little circle tag with the Easter Wishes sentiment from Mixed Messages, PTI.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

This is for the inspiration challenge at Melissa Phillips's blog using a photo by Leslie from A Creative Mint . This week Melissa's post was entitled "Grasshopper Pie and Pink". I also used the sketch of the week from Splitcoaststampers!

I made the flowers using the "Felted Flowers" technique. I punched 2 flowers from PTI's Hibiscus Burst paper, and then sanded the edges. Once they are sanded, you can peel each petal into 2 pieces. Since PTI's cardstock is so thick, it doesn't rip! Then you can wrinkle them up, and layer 2 on top of each other, staggering the petals. It's a really fun technique, and with one punch and lots of cardstock, the possibilities are fluffy and endless! Used the Gingham Backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms, and then Background Basics: Tin Types, Background Basics: Diamonds (on the flowers), and Mixed Messages, all from PTI. There are even some faint flourishes from The Angel Company! Lots of Tim Holtz Distress Inks, and more details using PTI buttons, White Opal Liquid Pearls, rhinestones, a paper piercer, and some twine!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

What better way to celebrate than a Blog Hop with Claire Brennan...Owner of Waltzingmouse Stamps and resident of Ireland! The challenge was to create a card using WMS that celebrated a bit o' the GREEN!

I used Waltzingmouse's Sewing Box Hugs to make a wee shamrock (as Claire would say!), and put a border along the bottom using my FAVORITE sweater background from Faux Fun! Sentiment from Mixed Messages, Papertrey Ink, and striped patterned paper by Cosmo Cricket.

Monday, March 15, 2010

I think I have noted before that I like the actual "stamping" part of stamping. I love sitting down with stamps and lots of ink and seeing what happens! Some people have a plan when they stamp that entails measuring and such, but I usually just grab whatever set I like and some paper scraps that are laying around and just get to it!

Yesterday evening I got the new Tim Holtz Distress Inks out and Polka Dot Basics and Guide Lines Grid paper from PTI, and just started mixing and matching colors. I ended up with 2 fun dotty decorative papers, and decided to turn them into birthday cards...Eva and Claire always seem to have a birthday party every month, both for girls and boys. So meet...

Princess Cupcake

and Cowboy Cupcake

After stamping the dots, I then went back and coordinated the cupcake from Baby Button Bits, PTI, to match! That Crystal Snow from Stampendous is some FUN STUFF! Doesn't it look just like sugar, yummy!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Today's Featured Stamper at Splitcoast is Kristen aka "Mommylvs2stamp"! I chose to use her It's a Celebration card for inspiration. Here is my card:

It's soooo dreary here, and was just rain/snowing for awhile. You have to live in Rochester to know what that means, I think! It's simultaneously doing both, but there is a 10 raindrop/1 snowflake ratio!! Thank goodness I have Kristen's card, lovely pastel PTI cardstocks, and 2 chirpy girls to cheer me up! (My chirpy girls are not these bluebirds but Eva and Claire!) Tried a magical window card like Kristen's, but that did not quite work out as planned! HAD to keep the sweet banner, though, and I have Pink Persimmon's Banner Set (small) lucky me! Kristen does a great job of layering patterns and embellishments, so I created the rick rack using the Banner set, added some gingham ribbon, Liquid Pearls (did you doubt?!), and Stickles!

Friday, March 12, 2010

On Fridays at Splitcoast is a new challenge that just started a few weeks ago. It replaced the "Limited Supply" Challenge. It's now called "Free for All"...which seems to fit perfectly for the start of the weekend. Today's challenge was to make a card inspired by a fairy tale and to add sparkle and bling.

You know you have too many stamps when you can go to your closet for a Fairy Tale challenge and you JUST happen to have a Little Red Riding Hood image! I got this stamp a few years ago from "The Mayberry Sparrow", a store at etsy.com. Corabelle hand carves stamps out of LINOLEUM! I just think it is the cutest thing, and the detail is amazing! I stamped her using the new Tim Holtz Distress Ink called "Barn Door". It's sooo bright and cheerful. The sweet folksy tree and sentiment are from the "Oh Dear Silhouettes" stamp set from Pink Persimmon. Plus, the sentiment seemed like something Grandma (the REAL one, not the wolf one!) would say to Little Red when she showed up!

See, you don't even need to have a St. Patrick's Day-themed stamp to feel Irish in March! I paper-pieced 2 of the flowers with punched circles that were cut from PTI Spring Moss cardstock with the Swiss Dot Embossing Folder. Tied a little Licorice Divine Twine around the stem, colored the inner circle with green marker, then coated it with Stardust Stickles. Have a lucky day!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Today is my nephew Scott's 38th Birthday! Scott's birthday is the EASIEST to remember...we were born 3 months apart to the day. Hmmm that's strange because I thought that on MY birthday in December that I was only 30????? HA! Here he is with Eva and Claire this past Christmas. We went to the same elementary school and were in the same grade. It took years for people to get it straight...."He's your cousin?"...."No nephew."...."Your second cousin?" "No nephew"...."Really?"...."HIS MOM IS MY SISTER!"...."Okay then" (followed by very puzzled expression). Ahhh the good old days, right, Scott? HAPPY BIRTHDAY from your favorite AUNT...and Uncle Jay, of course!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Melissa Phillips has another awesome inspiration challenge this week...here is her blog post. She chose another beautiful photo taken by Leslie of A Creative Mint. This week she chose this photoas the inspiration for her challenge! Here is my card:

I am becoming quite addicted to Melissa's Photo Inspiration Challenges! They really get your mind wandering to happy, sunny places, which is always welcome this time of year!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Today's color challenge at Splitcoast was Crushed Curry, Always Artichoke, and Basic Grey. I substitued some PTI colors and tried to bring a bit of spring to the slush and mush of Rochester.

Oh how I love PTI's Vintage Picnic! It is one of my favorite stamp sets of all times. Used PTI Summer Sunrise and Smokey Shadow cardstock, and colored my flowers on watercolor paper. I tried to make my leaves look "artichokey" hee! Still can't put down Year of the Flower: Violets...I went for the sentiment this time, though!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Oh the entries for the Pink Persimmon Blog Hop and Sketch Challenge were FANTASTIC! So many of you hopped to ALL of the blogs to play each challenge! It was great to see the different styles and techniques each person used to fancy up Julie's sketch.